Every morning many people follow the same routine. A natural rhythm of daily life takes many of us from bed, to our work, and back again. As we depart in the morning, we almost always take the essentials, which for many include keys, wallet or purse, watch, and mobile telephone. In the evening, we deposit these same items, so that they'll be ready for service the next day.
Many people have a designated physical place for storing these items each night. This place may be a hallway table, a drawer near the kitchen, a shelf, a night stand, or the like. We lay them in this designated place each evening, so that, by rote, we know where they are in the morning. A pre-coffee grogginess notwithstanding, we know right where these essential items are. We take them with us out the door, and the natural rhythm of things continues.
However, a misplaced item disrupts our natural flow. Often when we're stressed, distracted, or preoccupied, we depart from our normal routine. For example, we might place our wallet on a coffee table rather than its usual place. The leather tri-fold may be subsequently covered up by a magazine, taken by a passing child as a toy, or hauled off to be chewed on by the family dog in a hiding place under a piece of furniture somewhere. The next morning, we collect the essentials from their normal place. In our rush, we might not even notice that our wallet is missing. We bolt out the door only to later realize that we have forgotten it. Alternatively, we might notice that it's missing before getting to the door, then spend a frustrating time going through bags and coat pockets and crawling about peering under couches and chairs, until we find it.